Don't Forget About Me
by TheBaysQueen
Summary: Alek has gone off to marry some barking Royal! And Deryn's been kidnapped! Alek doesn't know anything about Deryn's predicament, and Deryn knows nothing about this Royal Highness. Blisters, but it's like a giant game of Tag! And who is this Deryn Doppleganger!
1. Fool Proof Plans

_Hey! Once again I've started a new story! I don't own anything! But I do Love this series! Please R&R And don't hold back! Critisicism is greatly appreciated!_

_I Will Add More Eventually... Probably! Well Enjoy!_

"Deryn!" Aleksander yelled over the wind that screamed in her ears.

She rotated her head slowly to her left, looking for the source of the voice. Alek wasn't supposed to be back yet. He was still supposed to be in Switzerland.

The Leviathan continued forward, unmoved that one of her crew had been injured.

The unsecured rope snapped and fluttered above her fading vision. A noise could faintly be heard approaching, a steady tap, tap, tap that usually came with running footsteps.

"No…Alek," She whispered weakly, hating every minute she couldn't do anything. She was not the damsel in distress! She was the one who did the saving!

_I am stronger than this!_ She thought to herself, trying to push herself on to her knees.

_I CAN do this! _She thought as a wave of nausea swept over her and clouded her vision.

She blinked rapidly trying to get her eyes to focus on the dark shadow that kept steadily getting closer.

"Dylan! What are you doing?" Newkirk demanded, kneeling next to her and grabbing her arm. "You're lucky your harness didn't snap, the way you keep blowing from side to side!"

"Newkirk… Wh-what are you doing? It's dangerous!" she replied meekly, angry at how weak and girly she sounded. She still couldn't get her vision to clear.

"Well, you're the one who had to go and get his head bashed in by a piece of rope! You've got blood in your eyes! We've got to get you to the doc!" He grabbed a hold of her arm, pulling her gently the rest of the way up so that she was standing unsteadily.


	2. Rude Awakenings

**^*A/N: **I ain't great with computers… as a matter of fact; we have a bit of a hate relationship going on… SOOOO… MonsterlyFiction, who is only slightly awesome because she's ginger, shall be helping me out with this by posting these chapters for me!

**Disclaimer:** I own NOTHING!

Chapter 2: Rude Awakenings

Deryn awoke to a great, horrible pain in her head. The sharp throbbing pain seared through her head, causing her eye to pop open at a scary pace. Why did it hurt so barking much?

And, wait a minute! Why was there something covering her left eye? She didn't remember getting injured… Then she did.

'That barking rope broke!' She thought, sitting up abruptly, and instantly being punished by her head.

"Careful not to hurt yourself, Mr. Sharp," Dr. Barlow said, closing the door hurriedly behind her before any of the crew could see Deryn. Tazza rushed excitedly to check out the injured girl leaning against her pillows.

"Dr. Barlow, what in blisters happened? Why do you look so barking serious?" Deryn asked wildly, becoming increasingly bewildered by the gaze under which she was being scrutinized.

"First, Deryn, did you do anything to sabotage this mission, besides lying to the crew, your captain, and basically the whole rest of the world?"

Deryn was stunned speechless. She had an answer to everything, but she was unprepared for this.

"What? Where in blazes did this come from? Barking Spiders! Why would I sabotage my own idea? What benefits would I gain from being injured?" she demanded, outraged at the accusation.

Dr. Barlow stared at her for a minute, considering something before continuing on. "Well, I'm glad. Now, I have good news, bad news, and worse news. I'm going to tell you the worse news first. You are being accused by the crew and captain for sabotage, but now that I have more-or-less heard your side of the story, I'll take it up with captain myself."

Deryn's brain spluttered indignantly, understanding much faster than she could. She wanted to yell outrageously and demand everyone to prove it, but what came out was, "And the bad news?" This was said tentatively, almost timidly and very afraid, like a girl's. She hated it and growled almost instantly.

The lady boffin's mouth twitched, fighting a smile. "The bad news is that you have a severe gash that almost tore out your eye, along with a concussion. That's why your head hurts so much at this moment."

Up until this moment, she had been ignoring her pain, pushing it to the back of her mind, but as the boffin brought it up, the throbbing returned and it seemed it was very outraged at being ignored.

She flinched, grimacing at the pain.

"I'm almost barking afraid to ask, but what's the good news?" Deryn asked, butterflies fluttering in her stomach and her heart picking up its pace.

Dr. Barlow was smiling out right.

"The good news is-"

And almost as if it was planned, her cabin door flew open with a resounding bang. She grabbed her head and breathed heavily for a moment.

She glanced nervously at the door.

"Alek is here."

And the boffin was right. There stood Prince Aleksander von Hohenburg, feet planted apart, stance rigged, and face furious.

His mouth was pressed into a thin, white line, his hair stood on end as if he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly, and his eyes looked red.

"Barking spiders!" she cried, terrified for the people around her, but happy to see her love. "Who in blazes decided to tell the barking prince?"

_**^*A/N: **_Thanks to MonsterlyFiction for helping my failure with computerized technology! Please comment… review… whatever… and tell me what you think! Thanks!


	3. Breaking News

_Sorry it's been sooo long! But I'm back! I think this is my favorite story, and I also think that Alek is the awesomest fictional character ever! What girl doesn't want a prince for a boyfriend? C'mon, admit it! Anywhore, sorry it's been so long! Enjoy!_

Chapter 3

"How could you have let this happen?" Alek stormed, pacing the length of her small cabin without looking at her.

She gingerly crossed her arms across her chest, careful not to jar any wrappings. She continued to do her best at glaring at him, but she had a sinking feeling that it was going very badly.

"You ninny! I didn't let this happen! My plan was barking foolproof!" she cried, wincing when the yelling hurt her ribs.

Alek's pacing paused for a second, as if he were considering something, the silence eerie without the clomp of his boots. When he resumed, it was with a new vigor, his features twisted angrily.

"Dummkopf," Deryn thought she heard him say under his breath.

"You daft prince! If all you're going to do is storm and pace and be angry, leave. I barking didn't do anything wrong, so I don't understand why you're so barking angry with me!" Her outburst made him pause once more, only this time, he quit pacing completely and turned to look at her.

He scanned her face. She became self conscious and the throbbing in her head returned. She refused to show the pain on her face, though, since she was still embarrassed about her passing out.

Alek let out a big huff of air before coming to sit at her feet. He was hanging half off of the small cot.

"I'm sorry, Deryn. I wasn't thinking. I was just angry that I wasn't here to protect you." She looked straight into his eyes, and he stared back at her.

She felt something flutter in her stomach the longer she gazed. She didn't exactly disapprove of the weird butterflies, but she wasn't so sure about them either, and they were making her ribs start to hurt again, and she was focusing on keeping the pain out of her her expression, that her head was also beginning to throb, and she hated being useless more than anything else.

"Alec," she sighed, trying to change the subject. "What about you're meeting with the Pope?"

Alec was supposed to be trying to talk the Pope into writing him a new letter, since he dropped his over the side of the Leviathan.

He looked distressed. His face paled, and he dropped his eyes to the toes of his boots.

"Uh, yeah. About that. Deryn, I did talk to the Pope-"

Deryn interrupted him with a smile and then a grimace because her head told her it disagreed with her happiness.

"Alec, that's really great! Wha-" Alec held his hand in front of her face in the silencing gesture only royals had. She shut her mouth, but fumed inside.

"Deryn, he said that unless I find a royal girl to marry in a month, I'm not allowed back in the country."


	4. Sneaks and Creeps

Chapter 4:

Deryn stared straight ahead, the white angular walls of her bunks blurring.

Alek had left a few minutes ago to leave her to consider what he'd said. She was really upset, and knew he felt the same way by the pain in his green eyes.

"...royal girl to marry..." kept running through her head like an annoying mantra. She didn't think this would happen.

She'd agreed with Alek's idea to try to talk to the Pope, but she hadn't thought about this outcome. She was a barking ninny and the Pope was full of clart.

Her sadness turned to anger in a squick. The pounding her head faded to the background and the protesting in her ribs to a backseat to what she had in mind. Deryn knew it was far-fetched and crazy, but she was good at far-fetched and crazy.

She slowly pulled the blanket back and sat up straight. She felt everyone of the bruises and cuts and sprains, but pushed past the mind-numbing pain. Her head pounded in anger, and she felt something wet fall into her eyes.

She reached her hand up just under her short blond, feeling the bandage there soaking; the cut had reopened and was bleeding through the bandage.

"Blisters!" she cried out softly. She looked around her small cabin, trying to find something to staunch the bleeding with, coming up with one of her old middies' shirts that no longer fit.

Tearing off a couple of strips, she quickly redressed her wound, wincing at the feeling.

She slipped into the corridor silently, checking behind her as she slid her door closed. There was not a person, Alek or otherwise, to be seen. Her first step away from her door, and she already felt like a girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Every couple steps, Deryn paused, listening closely for any noise alerting her to an incoming presense. Hearing nothing, she continued along, tip toeing along. It felt awkward, having to sneak around on the ship that had been her home for the past two years, and she realized that this must've been what it was like for Alek in the beginning.

_This is barking brilliant, _she thought to herself, heaving a sigh. Quietly, though._ The lady boffin will find me missing soon, and I'm stuck sneaking around the ship._

A slight tingling on the back of her neck, making the little hairs stand up a little and giving Deryn Sharp goosebumps. She shivered, feeling as if she was being watched, and hating it, because if someone was watching her, that meant that someone knew she was missing already.

She paused, looking around once more and saw nothing in the still deserted hall, but she still couldn't shake the feeling. She picked up her pace, while her head and ribs protested loudly at the increased movement. Her breathing hitched up a notch, making blood pound in her ears.

If she had paused just one more time, she might've heard the clomping boots, the heavy breathing, and almost inperceptable sound of cloth being removed from cloth.

The hand closed over her nose and mouth, the cloth blocking her airways. She struggled on the verge of panic, limbs flailing. She heard an _umph_ come from the form behind, and she allowed herself a quick moment of pride.

"Come on, young princess. Quietly, please. It'll be much easier on you." The deep voice urged. She heard the calming tone in the british lilt, but was not concerned with it. As Deryn slowly lost consciousness, and, right before everything went dark, she felt the warm drops of blood from her head wound once more, and wondered what a barking princess was doing on an airship like the Leviathan.

_Hehe, so maybe I changed it up a bit. I'm still kinda upset that Deryn keeps looking weak, but next chapter, hehe, certain people will be in for a big surprise when they try to control Miss. Deryn Sharp! Oh, I can't wait to write the next chapter!_


	5. Without Looking Back

_Hehe! Hey! So here's a little tidbit (haha what a silly word!) of info about this story! It's my favorite Series (The Scorpio Races is my favorite book!) and with the plotline in this fanfic, I have changed the story twice on my computer and about 12 1/2 times in my mind! Yuop, that's it! And it's gonna be in Alek's point of view for a little while! Hope I do an okay job! Let me know!_

Chapter 5

As he walked into his cabin, he felt his heart drop with dread and sadness. He'd given Deryn the news straight because he'd known she could take it, being the type of person Deryn was. She wouldn't have wanted him to try to sugarcoat the news, but he hadn't thought she would look so utterly crushed.

When Alek left her cabin, she'd stared straight at the end of her small wooden bunk with unseeing eyes. She hadn't been yelling or crying, which made it worse, but he should've known she wouldn't. Deryn might've been an outgoing girl, but she didn't cry, not even the time she got really badly injured trying to warn the Leviathan crew that there were camera walkers.

"Alek, ist es Zeit zu gehen. Sind Sie bereit?" Volger demanded, not bothering to knock and wait for permission to enter.

"Yes, Volger. I'll be ready to leave in just a minute. Please wait for me out in the hall." Alek replied, not bothering to reply in German.

He didn't turn around until he heard the soft click of the door closing, and then, only then, did he blink his green eyes, closing off his view from the white wall he faced.

_Oh, Deryn, I love you,_ he thought, but he was still too afraid to say those words to a girl like Deryn. A girl who wasn't scared of much, and faced danger with a smile and a quick retort.

He already missed her scottish lilt and her bad swearing, and, even though she was not the type of girl he was brought up with, Deryn Sharp would definitely be his first choice of a wife if it were at all possible.

Alek sighed deeply, releasing a few pent up emotions. A prince was supposed to look grand and royal, but Alek didn't feel any of that. He felt like dirt that has been tread upon many times by busy citizens unable to take the time of day to look at him.

He turned, grabbed his vasile, looked around the familiar room once more, then pulled himself together, taking his first step away from the home he'd come to know and love, the girl he'd come to adore, and everything dear.

He didn't look back as he walked down the hall, becoming more and more heartsick, but not showing it on his face.

But maybe, just maybe, if Aleksander Ferdinand, Prince of Austria-Hungry had looked back, things would have never changed.

_Haha! Another Cliff-Hanger! Am I mean, or am I mean? :p_


	6. Meeting Diana

_Still Alek! Deal with it! Okay, so in this chapter, since I'm not good with history and it's kinda late and I'm only running on three hours of sleep, the Queen is going to be made up and so are her daughters, the princesses. I'm sorry if it offends anyone, but I'm lazy, so deal! Anywhore, enjoy!_

Chapter 6

The small Clanker contraption he rode in swayed gently from side to side, giving him a seasick feeling. He'd gotten used to the usually smooth sailings of the Leviathan, that being on the ground was like learning to walk all over again.

He stared out, but saw nothing of the passing beauty of the small town in front of a very large, but very green, forest. He didn't want to see it, for all of this was just farther from Deryn than it should be.

He sighed as he thought her name. Volger must have guessed the depressed prince's thoughts because a moment later he said, "It's for the best. That girl was just a crush. It will pass in time."

Alek remained silent, and continued staring. He didn't say anything since those words had sparked a genuine emotion in him since he'd left: Hate. Hate and anger.

Alek stretched, feeling tired and irritated after the long and silent ride to the British Palace. Queen Mary's young daughter, Princess Elizabeth Ann, rushed out to meet him, her pink and silver gown bunched in her hands as she jogged.

Alek pulled his jacket straight and combed his hair to the side with his fingers quickly. Putting on his best "I'm royal and I know it" smile, he bowed swiftly and confidently to the girl of only fourteen. She dropped a quick bob that barely passed for a curisty, then looked up at him a pair of eyes that reminded him of Deryn.

Alek had a quick flash of young Elizabeth Ann replaced by Deryn, but quickly mentally shook the image away, blinking away unmanly tears.

"Welcome, Prince Aleksander, to the Royal Palace. Mother is dying to greet you. Please, come inside for some tea," she said, her english accent contrasting with the smooth scottish lilt Alek missed so much.

"Thank you," he said.

Elizabeth Ann turned, and he let the smile slide off his face. He felt out of place here.

Elizabeth Ann lead him through several intricate corridors and hallways that looped and spiraled and curved. He was thoroughly lost by the time they reached the sitting chambers.

"Mother, Prince Aleksander is here," Mary's daughter sang, pushing open the heavy looking double doors gilded in gold.

The Queen sat in a straightbacked red velvet chair pushed up to the marble table. Her hair was dark black laced with gray piled high on her head. Her startling blue eyes contrasted greatly with the daring red dress she wore.

"Prince Aleksander! Welcome," she exclaimed, rising from her chair to greet him.

He bowed stiffly, placing his silly royal smile back on. When the Queen raised him, he moved to pull out her chair and then the princess'.

The servants brought in the tea, added the extra things, then left, bowing and curtsiying to the Queen as they backed away. As soon as the heavy doors closed, the princess and queen began whispering to each other in earnest, not caring that they were being rude to their guest.

Alek could hear their voices, but it sounded like a faint high and low pitched hum. Back and forth it went, high, low, high, low. He could pick out a few words, such as 'wife' and 'princess', but the few words he caught made him uneasy.

He cleared his throat after awhile, uncomfortable with the thought of being rude to the Queen and her young daughter, but offended as well.

A matching set of piercing blue eyes settled on him. After a moment of utter silence that left the room ringing, the Queen moved away from the princess.

"Aleksander, Elizabeth Ann and I have decided. It's time you met Princess Diana."

_I'm finally done with this stupid chapter! It was the hardest to write and by far my least favorite. Why, Alek, must you be so difficult? Oh, well. I still love you!_


	7. Discovering Princess Deryn

Chapter 7

Deryn awoke at the feeling of someone shaking her. It wasn't a pleasant feeling because the movement was moving her ribs and her head wasn't stable.

"Barking spiders, Newkirk! You daft middy, what is it? And stop, barking shaking me, you Dummkopf!" she exclaimed, struggling to open her heavy-lidded eyes.

"Excuse me, your Highness, but your mother, Her Royal Majesty, the Queen, is ready to see you," a young timid voice called from somewhere above her.

The unexpectedness of the voice made her pop her eyes open and sit up quickly, her head spinning and her ribs screaming all sorts of profanites at her. She instantly regretted the decision to open her eyes.

Deryn Sharp was no longer in her cabin bunk, nor was she on the Leviathan any longer. The room she was in was spacious and gold, a very grand room. Not even the captain had a cabin this nice.

What really caught her attention was the fact that she sat in an actual bed. Not a Leviathan cot, but a bed with a mattress. What's more, the bed had soft, clean linens and a heavy bedspread. But what surprised Deryn the most was the fact that there was a gold gilded canopy with a pink pulldown curtain.

"Where in blazes am I?" Her eyes showed her the one thing her mind just wouldn't believe.

"You're in the Queen's Royal Palace," the small voice said again.

Deryn swung her eyes to the voice to see a small young girl, probably sixteen, a year younger than Deryn herself. She was dressed in a simple black dress with a white apron and a ridiculous looking hat on top of her pinned back brown hair. Her dark brown eyes were large and innocent.

"Barking brilliant. Who was the bum-rag covered in clart that brought me here?" She demanded, pushing back the bed covers, relieved to find her middies uniform still in place, linking her to her beloved ship.

"You were brought here by Jaques, Princess," said the young girl, her eyes glued to the floor, her hands twitching nervously.

"You ninny, did you just call me 'Princess?' And what is your name? I can't keep going around calling you girl!"

"I'm Mazie," she said, the english lilt in her voice much different than the german ones she'd grown used to.

"Aye, of course you are." she mumbled under her breath.

A knock came from the other side of the heavy looking door.

She waited for the person to enter for a long time, becoming agitated when no one came in.

Mazie spoke softly once more, "They're waiting for your permission to enter, Princess."

"E-enter?" she called, unsure.

The door opened and a tall, balding man stepped through, bowing as he did so.

"Hello, Princess," the man said. He had and French accent, this time.

_Does everyone have a barking accent here? _she wondered, annoyed.

"I am Jaques Jean Luc."

"So, your the one who brought me here," Deryn said, launching herself off the bed at the man, who easily caught her and pinned her hands behind her back. She struggled, but couldn't get free.

"Princesses don't act like common airmen."

"I am a common airmen!" She declared, angry at the insult. Her anger gave her the power to break free from the hold and make a mad dash for the door, ignoring her screaming pains, but not being able to keep the pained grimace off her face.

She ran out the door, slamming it with all of her might. She forever down the unending hallway until it did end, then she made a split decision of going left.

There was a door at the end of the hallway. She figured it might be an exit. She ran for it, putting on a burst of speed, despite her burning lungs, hateful ribs and pounding skull.

Her panting was heavily audible to her ears, and the used the last of her strength to push open the gold doors and stood in the door frame panting...


	8. Dopplegangers

_Ohmigosh! I just looked at my reviews. I know it's been, like 3 months and I'm soooo sorry! I got busy, but I promise that now I will begin writing more, because y'all's reviews, are soo sweet! thanks for the encouraging feedback!_

Chapter 8

Alek looked up to see that there was a girl standing in the doorway, about his age. She had short blond hair and a slight build, but she was fairly tall, maybe just a little shorter than him. She stood ramrod straight and panted a little, as if she'd ran to get here in time.

Alek stood, feeling no emotion for this young princess. He bowed, and she curtsyed, and they went through all of the royal gestures a proceedings expected of them, before sitting down around the little table once more.

The older princess stared at her hands and fidgeted a little in her seat, and the queen shot her a dirty little look before turning back to Alek and saying, "This is Princess Diana Marie Sara Elizabeth Jane the third."

Alek saw Diana grimace at the use of her full name, almost as if she were afraid of it. All the while, Alek stared at the princess, who still hadn't looked into his eyes. In fact, he had no idea what her face really looked like, just that her hair looked a lot like-

He cut himself off, trying to push down the feelings that came with her name and her memory. He was doing this for her sake after all.

"It's nice to meet you, Princess Diana. I am Prince Aleksander of Hohenberg." he said, a little smile along the corners of his mouth.

He saw the princess look up through her eyelashes, but not enough for him to see her face or eyes. He smiled a bit wider, as if encouraging her to look at him.

She seemed to become more confident with his smile, because her head came up just enough for him to see her features.

_Barking Spiders!_ he thought, using Deryn's slang for this moment. He thought it was appropriate.

Because the girl sitting across from him could've been Deryn's twin sister. They looked exactly the same. There were only two differences: Deryn's muscles and scars and Diana's timidness.

Deryn was the most outgoing person he'd ever met, a girl who wasnt afraid to give it to him straight and speak her mind, whereas Diana was meek and timid and looked terrified of saying anything.

Diana also looked pampered and like she hadn't had to do any work a day in her life, where Deryn looked tough and durable.

He realized he had been staring because the young princess' cheeks turned a light pink color and she bent her head to stare at her hands.

Clearing his throat, he said once again, this time, just tring to make conversation. "Princess Diana, it is a pleasure to make your acquiantance."

Diana glanced up through her lashes, looking a bit troubled. Her eyes held a sort of indecision about whether she should return his greeting or stay silent.

It was quiet for a moment as he watched her inner battle with herself, before he saw some sort of resolve in her and she opened her mouth to say something, when they were both startled by the sound of the grand doors being slammed open.


	9. Mother and Daughter

Chapter 9

Deryn put her hands on her knees and panted, her heart racing and her lungs burning. Her head spun and her ribs protested as loudly and as hatefully as ever.

"Barking... spiders!" she cried to herself. "Why are castles so barking big?"

"Now, doesn't that just depend on what sort of definition you carry of the word?" came an unfamiliar voice from somewhere in front of her.

Her head whipped up, her eyes searching frantically for the culprit. They finally came to rest on a woman who looked very regal and queenly. Deryn guessed that she was someone most people didn't want to mess with.

"Well, Yout Royalness," she began, straightening slowly, careful of her hurt ribs. "I'd say anything that you need a map bigger than a dining hall table to navigate is 'big'."

The lady stared, shocked at the young midshipman's sarcastic reply, before her lips turned upward into an amused smile.

"You are definitely my daughter," the woman said, startling the young girl standing in front of her.

"What did you say?" Deryn's voice conveyed all of her shock.

The woman's smile grew wider, and a little bit colder.

"Hello Deryn. My name is Queen Mary. I am your mother." The woman paused for that to sink in, before continuing on.

"You see, when I was younger, I had a set of twin girls. Diana and Deryn. I couldn't keep you both because my late husband, the King, had already passed on and I was only allowed to keep the eldest. So I gave you to the Sharps, as they were wanting a girl, but they couldn't have anymore children because of a terrible accident."

Deryn stared, shocked and speechless, at the lady claiming to be her mother. As she looked, she could see resemblances between the two, but something just didn't sit right with Deryn, and she was suspicious.

But the woman was oblivious to Deryn's feelings. All she did was pull a bell out from behind her and ring it. A few seconds later, Mazie entered the room and curtseyed.

"Yes, Ma'am, you rang?" Mazie asked in a docile voice.

"Yes, take the princess to her chambers and get her ready to meet the visitor."


	10. Creeps and Princesses

Chapter 10

Alek and Diana stared at the startled servant standing in the doorway. He was tall, and a little on the heavier side, with slicked back black hair and beady grey eyes. His mouth was wide and thin. This man had an all-together chilling face, and Alek was immediately creeped out.

Diana, on the other hand, seemed angry at the man.

"Jaques! What are you doing here?" Diana cried out, standing with such force, her chair almost fell back.

The man called Jaques straightened, and then bowed, before straightening once more, and saying coldly, "I'm sorry, your Highness. I was looking for someone." And with a sneer, he turned and closed the door behind him.

Diana stood for a few more moments, before collapsing tiredly into her chair.

"I'm sorry, Prince Alek," she whispered. "I do not like that man. He has a quite chilling presence, wouldn't you say?"

Alek nodded, still staring at the closed door.

Finally, he turned his attention back to the princess. "Would you like to go tour the gardens?" He asked, even though he knew it rude to invite himself around the castle. But, for this one time, he thought it important.

The princess looked up at him, studying him, as if searching for an ulterior motive, before standing and brushing of her skirts.

"Shall we?" she asked.

Alek smiled politely and offered him her arm.


	11. Frills and Woman Killers

Chapter 11

Deryn stood as still as she could, trying to hide her shock. Mazie pulled on the strings of the 'corset', or 'woman killer' as Deryn preferred to call it. It seemed appropriate at the time.

"Ow! Barking spiders, but does it need to be so tight?" Deryn panted.

Mazie gave another brilliant tug on the strings, before tying them up.

"Yes," she answered softly. "It makes a lady look more ladylike."

"Well, Mazie, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly the ladylike type. Next time someone tells me I'm a princess, I'm gonna go ahead and tell them to shove it." she muttered to herself.

Mazie giggled a little, before she covered it with a straight face.

"You can turn around, Highness," Mazie said.

Deryn reluctantly did, only to wish she hadn't.

Mazie stood in front of her with a pink frilly thing.

"Wh-what is that?" Deryn asked, nervously pointing at the thing.

"It's a dress. The Queen has instructed you to wear this to meet the Prince."

"That's not a dress, that's a barking frill! I'm not putting that thing on." Deryn replied, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Please, Highness, be reasonable! The Queen will be greatly angered if you don't wear this! She had it customly made for you!"

Deryn stared at the young girl for a moment, before sighing.

"Let me see the stupid thing." The maid looked hopeful for a minute, then it changed to suspicion as she watched Deryn walk to her discarded breeches.

Deryn dug inside one of the pockets for minute before triumphantly shouting "YES!", and pulling out a knife.

"Miss, what are you doing?" Mazie asked, alarmed.

Deryn's reply was simple.

"Redesigning."


	12. Dresses and Boots

Chapter 12

After she was finished, Deryn held up the dress proudly. She'd cut off all of the frill, shredding parts of the dress along with it. After sending Mazie to fetch a needle and some thread, Deryn had managed to make the patches fit back together.

Then, she took the left part of the dress, and folded it back to about mid-thigh and sewing it in place, giving the end of the dress slant. This way, she could move about.

"But, Miss, it just isn't proper! It's not ladylike!" Mazie exclaimed, looking more worried than ever.

Deryn slipped the dress over her head, surprised when it settled into place with ease.

Turning to Mazie, Deryn gave her a wide smile.

"Once again, Mazie, I am not a barking lady! I'm an airman! Or airwoman! Whatever! My point is, that on the Leviathan, the only time people care about manners or properisms, it's on the ground."

Mazie was taken aback, before she sighed.

"Okay, Highness. Let's..."

A knock sounded from the door.

"Princess Deryn, are you presentable?" came the muffled voice from the otherside of the door.

Deryn leaned over to Mazie.

"Can I say 'No'?"

Mazie smiled and shook her head.

Deryn sighed once more.

"Yeah."

The door opened to show Jaques. He walked in, and appraised her with his eyes, taking in every inch. He smiled a creepy smile.

"Your Highness, you look ravishing, but whatever happened to the Queen's choice dress?" He asked, with a bow.

"You're looking at it. That frilly mess wasn't a barking dress. It was a curtain. So I made adjustments." Deryn replied.

Jaques sighed, then turned to Mazie. "Did she do anything to the shoes?" he demanded.

Mazie cowered, lowering her eyes and shaking her head.

"Fetch them."

Mazie scurried to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of matching pink, frilly shoes.

"What in blazes are those? I refuse to wear those barking death-traps!" Deryn exclaimed, stepping away.

"Then, what do you propose you wear?" Jaques asked snarkily, eyeing the room.

Deryn pointed to her discarded clothes, knowing full well her middies' boots stood by them.

"But, Your Highness, that-"

"'Just isn't done', yeah, I know. That seems to be the motto around here. Quite honestly, though, I don't care. I'm wearing the woman killer, and the stupid curtain. I'm not wearing the death-traps as well. Give me the boots." She demanded.

Mazie cast a quick glance at Jaques, trying to decide who she was more afraid of, Deryn or Jaques, before she decided it was Deryn. She walked towards the giant Queen sized bed, grabbed the scuffed black boots, and scurried back to Deryn.

Bending down, Mazie tried to place the boots on Deryn's feet, but Deryn shooed her away.

"I don't need your help putting boots on. I'm barking capable."

Securing the boots, Deryn stood, feeling a fraction like herself again.

"Okay, let's go meet this daft prince of yours."


	13. Comparisons

Chapter 13

Alek was angry with Diana. At how much she reminded him of Deryn. He was mad because she was also so different.

Alek was angry with himself. He was angry at himself because he kept comparing Diana and Deryn.

Deryn would keep her head up and look you in the eye. Deryn would tell you what she felt and thought, exactly when she felt and thought it. Why won't Diana be confidant like Deryn? Why would Diana wear a dress like that? Deryn wouldn't wear a dress like that. Diana looks very regal. Could Deryn ever look this regal?

Indeed, Diana looked very regal. In a very curtain-y type way. Her frilly green dress made her frame look bloated and wide. The puffed sleeves seemed as if they were trying to engulf her face. The ankle length skirt went passed her ankle and brused the ground because Diana wouldn't be confidant of herself. The skirt also puffed out at impossible widths, as if it were trying to trip Diana. Her green heeled shoes had matching green bows.

The only good thing about the dress was the color. Diana looked very pleasant to look at.

_Deryn would look better, I presume._ Alek thought, then had to stifle a laugh at the thought of a very disgruntled Deryn in a poofy green dress.

He instantly felt better.

He offered his arm to the young Princess.

"Shall we go visit your lovely maze?"


	14. William's Garden

Chapter 14

Deryn was disgruntled. She'd been led around the whole castle, and back. Twice.

"Jaques. Where in blazes are they?" she demanded huffily.

"I assume they are headed twoard the maze, Highness."

Deryn stared at the Frenchman in shock, before recomposing herself, although inside, she was boiling.

"Barking spiders, man! Why didn't you take us there in the first place? why in blazes would you take us on a giant tour of the castle when you knew where they were the whole time? Are you daft?" Okay, so she was seething outside, too.

"I assumed the young princess would refuse. You see, the young princess and her sister- I mean, you, got seperated once, when you were smaller. You were always so adventurous, but the young one, always clung to your mother's side. She was afraid." Jaques covered his mistake quickly, but not fast enought that Deryn missed it.

_He said 'her sister'. That's got to mean I'm not really the long lost twin!_ Deryn felt relief, but was still suspicious. She thought for a minute about whether to confront the Frenchman about it, then decided she'd better learn a bit more before making wild accusations.

"So, who is this bloody prince, anyway?" she asked, changing the subject.

She didn't miss the shared look between the young maid and the creepy Frenchman.

"We weren't privy to the details, Miss," this time it was the young maid, Mazie, who answered.

"Then, why is it so barking important that I meet him? According to you two, there's already a barking princess here for him to meet. He can marry her! She's better at the princessing anyway!" Deryn cried, turning away from the empty room and heading in the opposite direction than the way they'd just come.

She'd only walked a few paces, when she was suddenly flanked by her always constant entourage. Resigned to the fact she obviously wasn't getting much privacy here, she continued on her path, pushing the heavy, wide doors open, blinking in the blinding sunlight.

Shading her eyes, she peered around, discovering that she had found the garden. It was beautifully kept, and her mother and aunts back home would've been amazed. Looking around, she saw lots of colors of flowers and fruit and vegetable.

"This is barking brilliant! So many colors and smells at one time!" she was thoroughly thrilled, enjoying the strange sight of flowers, when a strange, deep voice broke through to her.

"Hello, Diana. You look lovely, although that is a very different style."

Deryn ignored the voice, thinking the voice was speaking to someone else, when a light tap on her shoulder had her spinning around in surprise.

She was immediately searching for an escape route, just in case she couldn't fight her way out of her predicament, hen she remembered, she wasn't on the Leviathan. She slowly straightened out of her crouch, searching for the source of the tap, her eyes coming to rest on the man in front of her.

He looked to be about Alek's age, with brilliant dark blue eyes, and brown hair that curled slightly around the nape of his neck. He had a strong jaw, and a dashing smile.

He was very handsome, indeed, and Deryn couldn't help but take an interest in him.

She must have been staring because the young man unwavering gaze slowly became confused.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm midshipman Dy-Uh, I mean, I'm Deryn Sharp. Who are you?" she flushed as she realized what a mistake it would've been to introduce herself as the midshipman Dylan Sharp. She might've had a boys' haircut, but she obviously looked like a girl at that moment.

"William Avery. I'm the groundskeeper here at the Castle. What are you doing in my garden?" he asked, his nature instantly becoming suspicious.

"Jaques and Mazie were taking me to meet some daft prince. Something about a barking maze and a princess name Diana..." she was instantly cut short.

"You say that Diana and a prince are in the maze? Oh, that's not good! let's go!" William cried, looking panicked.

He quickly threw down his equipment, which he had been using to dig a hole, and offered her his hand. For minute, she stared, then boldly slipped her hand into his, allowing him to pull her towards the perfectly kept entrance to the maze.


	15. According to Plan

Chapter 15

"Everything is going according to my plan. Jaques, good job. Mazie, I applaud your preformance. You both did a wonderful job. Now, all we have to do is watch." The queen said, sitting back in her chair as she watched the maze.

Mary knew the young William loved her daughter, Diana, and that Diana reciprocated those feelings. She also knew, that Diana wouldn't admit them to herself.

By placing Diana in Alek's care, she knew William would get jealous. William also knew of Diana's fear of the place and would have a desire to protect her from the place.

Mary smiled. She was helping Alek and Deryn, as well.

She had spoken to Mrs. Sharp a few weeks before, and gotten her approval of this plan. The two had once been good friends, since she had been one of Mary's ladies-in-waiting, before she'd met her late husband.

Mary and the older Sharp woman had had their eldest daughters on the same day, thirteen minutes apart, and surprisingly enough, they had grown to look almost exactly alike. That's what made this plan so easy.

But, there was only one problem, and Deryn was smart and observant enough to figure that out...


	16. Fear of Mazes

Chapter 16

Diana gripped Alek's arm tightly, surprising the prince. Alek stared at the princess hard, only to find her face flushed and her eyes wide and sparkling with unshed tears.

"Diana, what's the matter?" he asked gently, turning slightly so that he could face her directly.

Diana shook her head mutely, almost as if she said something, she might lose is.

"Diana, come on, speak to me." Alek pleaded, knowing full well that he didn't know where they were going. They had stopped at a dead end, and he didn't know which way way the correct way and which was incorrect.

It was the that Alek noticed her shaking and shivering.

_She's terrified!_ he realized, mentally kicking himself for not noticing earlier. He had been selfishly enclosed in his comparisons, that he didn't even notice the fear, although it was clearly palpable.

He sighed, resigned.

"Princess, we need to get out of he-"

"Hey, you! Prince boy! Get away from Diana!"

This new voice caused Alek's head to whip around, startling him, his eyes widening.

Sure enough, there standing in the entry, was a boy about his age, with brown hair, and blue eyes. He was tall, even in height to Alek himself, although this boy looked a little rougher, and just a little bit angrier.

"William," came a very familiar voice from somewhere behind this 'William', warning him, cautioning him.

It was then, that Alek realized that there was someone behind the infuriated groundskeeper.

Alek started in shock when he realized who it was...


	17. Found Them?

_So sorry peoples! I was having trouble with deciding about what to do with this chapter. I wasn't sure if I should create some sort of bad guys not wanting Deryn to be a princess... ASSASSINS! that's what they're called. (C'mon now, Gift! Your mom's an english teacher!) Or if they should've gotten lost in the maze... So, I'm leaving you all with a cliff hanger! BUT! If you guys leave me an idea about what to do, I promise next chapter won't be a cliff hanger! But, you've gotta help me out! PLEASE! Okay, thanks! :)_

3 3 3 3

Chapter 17

Deryn was reluctant to speak to William, but she knew if she didn't, everything would go to hell. And the princess looked scared enough without the fighting.

"William," Deryn warned, reminding him that the frightened princess was his main concern, not some prince.

William shot her a weird, pleading look over his shoulder before hurrying over to the distressed princess' side. This left her facing the unknown prince by herself.

She was hesitant to look into the face of this unknown boy because she knew her expectations wouldn't, no, couldn't be lived up to. The only prince she wanted to see couldn't be here because he was off in some unknown place.

So, she was startled when she felt arms wrap around her waist, pulling her firmly, but gently into a strangely familiar embrace. The touch was light, almost as if the stranger knew about her injuries...

"Dummkopf," a familiar voice whispered into her ear.

Her eyes widened in recognition.

"Alek?"


	18. A Royal Pain

_So, 'Lo, once more peoples! I'm sorry about the sucky filler chapter... I know how short it was and blah, but I didn't know what to do! :( But, I think maybe I know how I wanna take this story and finally give it a happy ending... Or kill them all... I'm still debating... JUUUST KIDDING! I just need to figure out what to do with this chapter to get it flowing along... (__Hey, Gift. SHUT UP!)__ Geez, don't listen to her. She likes telling me what to do! (Get out of my head, and stop telling me what to do!) I know I said, this wouldn't be a cliff hanger, but I lied!(__On with the story!)_

Chapter 18

Deryn pushed away from Alek, staring up into his eyes, shocked.

"You're the barking mysterious prince I'm being forced to be ladylike for?" Deryn demanded, anger flooding into her tone.

Barking spiders! Alek had seen her covered in sweat, mud, and many other undeniably foul things, and she had been coerced into wearing a barking dress!

She was furious.

Alek, on the other hand, was amused. Deryn's head wound was wrapped with an old shirt, her short hair sticking out at every odd angle imaginable, and had on a pink, frilly dress that someone, probably Deryn herself, had butchered and then sewn back together. Deryn's boots topped off the ridiculous ensamble.

It was so completely Deryn.

"What is so barking funny, you dafty? I was kidnapped, forced to wear this... thing, and now I know it was all for you!" she ranted, pacing around, ignoring the new blood staining her wrappings/shirt.

Alek grabbed her arm right above her elbow and pulled her toward him, happy for a moment that he had managed to grow taller than her.

He leaned his face close hers, watching as Deryn's face turned an amusing shade of pink, before whispering "I like the change."

That's all he got out. The cold, hard edge of something hit him in the back of the head, and he fell. Alek lay on the ground unseeing for a moment, hearing one last sound before he completely blacked out...

The sound of Deryn's enraged cry.

_Okay, so I know Alek went a little OOC (__You're stupid! He went a lot out of Character!) __(Hey, shh! I'm speaking here! It's rude to interrupt!) and I'm sorry. Also, I got soo tired of the person in my head telling me ideas, that I decided to let her speak in my author's notes. Please, feel free not to read them! __(What are you talking about? I make you're story interesting!)__ (Uhh, no. Deryn and Alek do that with their adorable selves!) Well, next chapter out soon! _


	19. Your Fault!

Chapter 19

Deryn let out an enraged scream as Alek crumpled to the grass. She watched in total shock as Alek looked at her with a blurry, glassy look to his eyes before they closed entirely. She stared a minute longer, waiting, then crouched down next to him, prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best.

She saw that he was breathing, and decided that that was best for now; The hit had been rather hard, but now, she was ready to take out the attackers.

She turned to face Diana and William to see if they'd caught sight of the bumrags responsible, but was surprised to see Diana with a sort of sabre- type sword in her hands, and William with the same sort of gum Alek had pulled on her the first time they'd met.

"Barking spiders!" Deryn yelled, her emotions in quite a disarray , flashing all over her face.

"You! This is all _your_ fault!" came Diana's shrill voice.

"What in blazes are you talking about?!" Deryn demanded.

In response, Diana ran at Deryn, swinging the sabre as she went. Deryn jumped back, narrowly avoiding the sharp tip impaling her.

"You've ruined everything! You came into _my_ palace, inturrupted_ my_ plans, _and_ tried to steal_ my _fiance!" With every word, Diana's voice went even higher and louder, until it was a shrill shriek.

Deryn looked around, her eyes alighting on the sword at Alek's hip. _Barking spiders! How did I not notice that before?_ she wondered to herself.

She threw herself to the ground reaching for the sword handle right as Diana slashed downwards. The tip of the sabre grazed the shirt headress, ripping it in the process.

Deryn grabbed hold of the handle and pulled, coming up in a fighting stance, ignoring the blood now pouring into her eye.

"Because of you, I can't marry William!" Diana cried, taking a swipe.

Deryn blocked, then replied, "Are you daft? I don't think I'm a princess! I'm not trying to do anything! I was barking kidnapped!" she deflected another blow.

Deryn was forced back another step, before taking a defensive stance in front of the now groaning Alek.

"Alek, you dafty, stop sleeping! We need to barking escape! Now!"

Deryn's frantic cry must have alerted him to the danger, because he was up, and dragging her around the angry gardener, and the crazed princess.

"Time to go!"

_Stupid writer's block. That's all I gotta say. Sorry for the no posting! I finally figured out how to word this chapter! I just had to listen to a certain song (__Again by Yui__, if you were wondering.) Well, let me know! Thanks! Peace! (__You didn't let me say anything!)__ (That was on purpose! Shut up and let the chapter end!)_


	20. Running

Chapter 20

They were running. Running from a barking crazy princess intent on killing Deryn for the fact that she thought Deryn was trying to steal Will from her.

Deryn was aware of the greenery rushing past her, Alek's warm hand in her clammy one, and the blood. Blood was pouring into her eyes from the recently re-opened head wound.

And Deryn was beginning to get dizzy.

Deryn blinked furiously in an attempt to clear her blurry vision; they had to keep moving. There was no choice.

If they caught her and Alek... She wouldn't allow that to happen.

Deryn's thoughts were inturrupted by Alek's panting question.

"What did you do?"

She huffed indiganantly- well, as indignantly as one can while running.

"Get stuffed. She barking attacked me first!"

Alek gave a grunt as a reply, not relaying much on his side of the arguement.

Deryn's mind was hyperactive now, going over every detail of the earlier fight. First, they'd knocked out Alek. Why knock out the weaker one of the two? If they wanted to kill her for looking like the princess, wouldn't it have been easier to knock her out and then restrain the daft prince, who was now looking left and right as they both tried to catch their breath, and then kill her?

But what if they had known she would protect Alek? Even if it meant her own life?

Alek jerked on her hand, pulling her into a run once more.

Her breathing increased again, as her heart tried to keep the air flowing through her lungs, in out, repeat.

She wasn't paying attention, being lost in her thoughts, so when Alek came to an abrupt halt, she ran smack into him, pushing him forward a few inches. For that, she received an unreadable look thrown over his shoulder.

"We meet again, young prince. And little Miss. Fake. You're still alive, too," came a familiar voice, purring with pleasure at having found them.

"Get stuffed, Diana! I'm not a princess! I didn't even want to leave the Leviathan, for crying out loud!" Deryn threw back over Alek's shoulder, her usual scottish accent more pronounced.

That gave Diana pause. Deryn stepped out from behind Alek, coming to a rest beside the once shorter prince.

Deryn glanced at Alek's face, blinking away the still flowing blood in her eyes. Alek looked as regal as a, well, prince, and Deryn felt a momentary stab of love for the red haired man standing beside her.

"Then, why does mother insist that I have a twin, when all my life I've been told the only other sibling I ever had was Elizabeth Ann?" Diana sounded more and more unsure of herself with each passing moment.

"You don't have a twin! The only barking sibling I have is Jaspert Sharp! I have no relation to you!" Deryn cried.

Alek shot her a dark look, as he was reminded why he wasn't allowed to marry her; he wouldn't do to his children what had been done to him.

A smooth voice came from the side; a voice that both of the girls recognized.

"You're both right."

_I. Hate. School. I have no time to write for you guys! So, hopefully, This chapter, the next one and two for Prank Week will tide you guys over until I can write more! Love you guys, and girls! Peace!_


	21. Revelation: Plan

Chapter 20

Queen Mary stepped out from Deryn's right, William right beside her and Mazie and Jaques shadowing her.

The Queen looked regal and every inch the queen she was. Her light hair was pulled up into a curled style with pieces falling around her face, framing it.

"You're both right." she said simply.

"Mother!" Diana cried out at the same time Deryn yelled, "Mary!"

Mary gave a small smile before continuing.

"You see, girls, Deryn is not, in fact, a princess." Mary shot Deryn a look when she gave a little shout of happiness. "However, William here, is actually a prince from Wales. He's been undercover this during these past few months, as part of my plan, which I'll explain in just a moment. My point in this was to bring Alek here." she gave a small smile to her real daughter, before turning to the so-called 'twin'.

"Now, with Alek being here to come 'meet' my daughter and 'marry' her was just a big ruse. In fact, without Diana's knowledge, she's been engaged to William this whole time." The Queen said coolly.

Deryn gave a little chuckle at Diana's expression. Her mouth was hanging open, and her eyes, so much like Deryn's, were as wide as Deryn's fiset.

"Before Alek could... ahem... _marry_," she put great emphasis on the word 'marry', "Diana, however, I had some research done on him. As it were, I discovered that Alek was head over heels in love with this girl-turned-boy on the air ship Leviathan."

Alek's face turned a very amusing shade of pink, which had Deryn stifling giggles, receiving glares from both the Queen and the blushing prince. William smiled at Deryn in amusement, and Diana still had a look of utter shock on her face.

"Alek was about to become an emperor, but all he needed was an empress. But no one was as good as his Deryn. So instead of the soon-to-be emperor being miserable with someone he could never love, I devised this plan. I chose Alek also, because I knew I could help him, since his love and my daughter looked disturbingly alike. It also helps that my sister had her daughter on the same day I had mine."

_Uh-oh! Who's the sister? I'm sure we all know! Well, I know I do! Also, I have no clue what the Wales government is like, and I'm too lazy to attempt to figure it out! so if you have a problem with my history, take it up with Wales government! That is all! Peace!_


	22. Ever After After All

_Okay, so no one kill me just yet. My year has been crazy. I really am sorry for not updating sooner, but it's so hard finding time. It's my senior year. Crazy shizznits has been going on. But I'm updating right now! _

_If any of you are still out there, I hope y'all enjoy._

Chapter 23

"Sister?" trilled Diana, shaking out of her stupor and rejoining the living. "But, Mother, you never said anything about a sister."

"That's because I never needed to. She and I fell out of contact for awhile, right after you and Deryn here were born, but right before we did, we made an agreement. If one ever needed help, the other would immediately help." Mary's voice stayed even the whole time, and her flawlessly pale face betrayed nothing.

"But, hold on," Deryn butt in, still not following where any of this was going. "What has that bloody tale got to do with anything?"

Deryn placed her hands on her hips, leaning slightly forward on her toes, making sure everyone understood her question was serious, and needed an answer.

"Deryn," the Queen huffed. "You are just like your mother. Calm down, and allow me to finish, please."

She bit the inside of her cheek, rocking back onto her heels, the look of contemplation on her face had Alek holding laughter back, earning him a glare from his love.

"Alright, now, where was I? Oh, yes. Deryn my sister is your mother. She and I are twins, born twenty eight minutes apart. She was born the oldest, but as we grew and matured, it was evident she was the free spirit and didn't want to be tied down by any old boring prince or emperor. She wanted to be free. To travel the world and not have people around her praising her all the time."

Queen Mary was lost in her tale and her past. Reminiscing about her and Deryn's mother.

All was quiet for a bit except for Deryn's impatient weight shifting, causing Alek to lean over and subtly, and gently, elbow her in the ribs.

"Our family hired a hot air balloon expert, one day, because the family was expected to meet the people and be viewed from them. The expert's name was Artemis Sharp, and my, he was handsome fellow." The Queen fanned her face for a moment, trying to calm the pink tint in her cheeks.

"You would think those two were meant for each other, but from the moment they saw each other, for some reason, they couldn't stand to be within a foot of each other, let alone stand in the other's company. So just imagine the look on their faces when they discovered they would be riding in the same air balloon together."

"That's all good and dandy," Diana cut in this time, agitation playing on the edge of her voice. "But what has that got to do with anything?"

"Quiet, Love." William edged, walking up to her, and pulling her close.

"Thank you, William. Anyway, There were many balloons in the air that day, and it started off swell. My sister and I were dressed in our finest, and carefully placed and set in the balloons, your mother complaining the whole way about going up with that 'horrible' man. Well, we went up, and everything was going up.

Fifteen or twenty minutes into the viewing, dark, angry clouds bearing thunder and lightning come rolling in. There's only one ground crew for all of the balloons, and because I was with Mother and Father, they had to reel us in first."

By then, all four youngsters were leaned forward toward the Queen, William's arm still snaked around Diana, holding her close, and Deryn and Alek had matching expressions of rapt interest.

"Lightning struck their cable, and in the madness and chaos of everyone running, they weren't noticed drifting off for awhile.

They weren't found for at least four hours, and to this day, she still will not tell me what happened in that balloon that changed her view of Artemis Sharp. But I remember clear as day, that she marched into the audience chamber one day, denouncing her title, saying it was all mine. Storming around, claiming she was marrying Artemis Sharp, and there was nothing our parents could do to stop it."

By now, Queen Mary wore a beaming, yet, still sad smile.

"Our parents looked at each other, and looked at their still storming eldest daughter, then they both broke out into big smiles, and that right there floored your mother, Deryn."

"I'm gonna guess that Artemis had already asked for her hand, and they approved. Am I correct, Mother?" Diana inquired.

"Obviously. I'm barking standing here, aren't I?" Deryn stated smartly.

"Yes, indeed. Four months after they married, your mother announced to me and our parents that Jaspert was on the way."

Realizing that the tale was at an end, the four young adults leaned back and slipped into their own thoughts, contemplating and digesting everything they had just heard.

"Barking spiders! What does any of this mean for Alek and I?" Deryn wondered aloud, asking the question Alek had been pondering.

"It means, everyone gets a happily ever after, after all."


End file.
